Company fined $13,500 for discharging wastewater containing highly toxic chemical in Vietnam

Authorities in Quang Ngai Province, located in central Vietnam, have fined a company VND330 million (US$13,500) for disposing of wastewater containing chemical levels, including poisonous ones, that were much higher than the permitted levels.

The fine was imposed on Sinh Loc Manufacturing and Trading Co. Ltd., the provincial government’s office said on Sunday.

In December last year, a provincial police team conducted an inspection of the company to assess its adherence to environmental protection regulations, revealing instances of non-compliance.

In particular, police officers identified that the company had discharged wastewater containing cyanide, a highly toxic chemical compound, at a concentration more than 21 times the permitted limit.

As a consequence, the company was fined VND150 million ($6,141).

The firm faced another fine of VND45 million ($1,842) as the amount of nitrogen in its wastewater was nearly 2.4 times higher than the allowed rate.

The Quang Ngai administration also imposed a fine of VND60 million ($2,456) on Sinh Loc Manufacturing and Trading Co. Ltd. as the total suspended solids in its wastewater exceeded the standard level by some 4.4 times.

The biological oxygen demand in the company’s wastewater also surpassed the permitted level by over 12 times, so it was fined VND75 million ($3,070).

In total, the company was fined VND330 million ($13,500).

The Quang Ngai authorities also forced the firm to deal with the environmental pollution caused by its violations.

In October 2019, the provincial police caught the company red-handed discharging untreated wastewater into the environment.

By Thanh Ha & Tran Mai – Tuoi Tre News – February 19, 2024